MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
This year, Canndescent’s leadership decided to address cannabis incarceration and its disproportionate effects on black and brown people. To determine how best to do that, the company looked within.
Adrian Sedlin, founder and CEO of the California cultivator, said the May 25 death of George Floyd was “a flashpoint” to him and the business, as it was to many people, of the terrors of racial injustice and police brutality. Individuals, businesses and organizations in the cannabis industry have acknowledged that they benefit from legalization while minorities continue to be disproportionately incarcerated for marijuana convictions.
“We had a very long internal conversation, and sometimes there were tears in the room, to be honest, where people want[ed] us to act faster and [felt] like we have to do something,” Sedlin recalled to Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary.
At Canndescent, that flashpoint became a call to #sparkchange. The company’s core values, such as “excellence,” “gratitude” and “boldness” have enabled it to become a formidable player in the legal cannabis market. In 2020, they’ve led the company to launch Justice Joints, a preroll collaboration with the Last Prisoner Project (LPP). All profits from the product line of sativa, indica and hybrid prerolls will fund LPP’s efforts of prisoner release, reentry into society and criminal record expungement.
RELATED: Last Prisoner Project Works to End Cannabis Incarceration
With an internal “on-shelf” date of Oct. 27, Sedlin said Canndescent’s distribution team may start transporting Justice Joints to California dispensaries as soon as Oct. 28. About 30 to 40 dispensaries will begin selling the product in early- or mid-November. Six to nine months afterward, Sedlin anticipates selling the product to approximately 200 stores.
Several organizations have filed amicus briefs in support of Dr. Sue Sisley, who is petitioning the Ninth Circuit to rule that the DEA’s five-part test to assess if a drug has medical use and can be rescheduled is arbitrary and capricious.
Rice University’s Baker Institute, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and several doctors filed the amicus briefs Oct. 6 in support of Sisley’s petition, which ultimately seeks to facilitate medical cannabis research for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The briefs urge the court to grant Sisley’s Petition for Review, which would allow researchers to study the effects of cannabis as a treatment for PTSD.
Cannabis has long been classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, which severely limits researchers’ ability to access cannabis for clinical trials.
“The Veterans Administration can’t do anything with medical marijuana because it’s a Schedule I substance, [and] Sue Sisley and her company couldn’t go and get marijuana for her clinical trial from anyone other than a government-authorized supplier because it is a Schedule I drug,” Susman Godfrey attorney Erica Harris, who represented IAVA in its amicus brief in support of Sisley’s petition, told Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary.
AUSTIN — PRESS RELEASE — Texas could collect more than half a billion dollars per year in new tax revenue and create upwards of 40,000 new jobs if it legalizes and regulates cannabis for adult use, according to an economic analysis released Oct. 19 by Vicente Sederberg LLP, a national firm specializing in cannabis law and policy. The state could also save millions of taxpayer dollars per year in criminal justice costs.
"States across the country are seeing the benefits of legalizing and regulating cannabis," said Shawn Hauser, a partner at Vicente Sederberg who heads the firm's Austin office. "It is inspiring lawmakers in prohibition states to reexamine the efficacy and costs of their current policies and take a closer look at the alternatives. The goal of this report is to provide a snapshot of the economic benefits Texas would experience if it started treating cannabis more like alcohol for adults 21 years of age and older."
The report — which can be viewed and downloaded here — includes the following key findings:
There are more than 1.5 million adults 21 years of age and older in Texas who consume cannabis on a monthly basis. If the state regulated cannabis for adult use, it would see an estimated $2.7 billion per year in cannabis sales.If Texas taxed adult cannabis sales at the same rate as Colorado, it would generate more than $1.1 billion dollars per biennium in new state revenue. It could also raise an additional $10 million per year through a modest business license fee, which would help offset the costs of administering the regulatory program.A regulated adult-use cannabis market in Texas would result in hundreds of new businesses, creating an estimated 20,000-40,000 direct jobs in the cannabis industry, as well as tens of thousands of indirect and induced jobs.Ending misdemeanor arrests and prosecutions for low-level cannabis possession offenses in Texas would save the state an estimated $311 million per year."A regulated cannabis market would be an economic boon for the Lonestar State," Hauser said. "Hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue and tens of thousands of new jobs would be especially helpful in overcoming the losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas is leaving an enormous amount of money on the table by keeping cannabis illegal."
The stakes are particularly high in Texas due to its size and population, according to Dwight Clark, a senior policy analyst at Vicente Sederberg who previously worked in the Texas Legislature.
OAKLAND, CA (October 19, 2020) – PRESS RELEASE – Hemp and cannabis infusion technology company Vertosa has announced it has teamed with Pabst Labs, the newly formed licensed cannabis company producing ready-to-drink beverages under the iconic Pabst Blue Ribbon name, to develop and launch Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis Infused Seltzer. The new non-alcoholic THC beverage infused by Vertosa is now available in a select group of California dispensaries and direct to California consumers via shop.PabstLabs.com.
“We at Vertosa are absolutely thrilled to partner with the historic, legacy American beverage company that is Pabst Blue Ribbon on their Pabst Labs products as they embark on their journey into the cannabis industry,” said Vertosa Chief Innovation Officer Austin Stevenson. “But this is more than a major milestone for our two-year-old company; the launch of Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis Infused Seltzer takes the entire cannabis infused beverage market to a whole new level of household name status and accessibility, paving the way for more innovative infused beverages to reach wider audiences.”
RELATED: Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis Infused Seltzer Debuts in California
Since its inception in 2018, the Oakland, Calif.-based company, which recently announced its expansion into Canada, has quickly become the go-to cannabis and hemp infusion partner for an ever-expanding roster of both mainstream and niche beverage brands from North America to the UK, including VitaCoco, Calexo, Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops, Viv & Oak wine, and Soul Grind cold brew by Caliva. They currently infuse more than 100 hemp and cannabis products on the market, including two of the top three ready-to-drink brands in California. Vertosa’s team of scientists, led by CSO/Founder Dr. Harold Han, has designed emulsion systems for cannabinoids that are not only water-compatible, but taste great, are highly bioavailable and have a quick onset of less than 10 minutes.
Vertosa’s approach is never one-size-fits all. To infuse the Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis Seltzer, they worked diligently and closely with Pabst Labs for months to custom design an infusion solution to fit the PBR intended experience, including flavor, clarity, mouthfeel, stability and compatibility.
This week, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed multiple “clean slate” bills into law that will automatically expunge criminal records for those convicted of certain cannabis-related offenses. Elsewhere, in Illinois, the state announced that the first eight months of adult-use cannabis sales have generated more than $100 million in tax revenue.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
Federal: A multi-disciplinary team of seven North American universities and federal laboratories, led by Dr. Jeb Fields at the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, is seeking input from growers and growing media manufacturers/suppliers across the continent, representing multiple sectors and demographics, to identify needed innovations and constraints when producing specialty crops with soilless substrates. The United States Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Research Initiative awarded the researchers a planning grant, which the group plans to use to reimagine and redefine soilless substrate science to better meet the expanding range of crops and productions systems that are transitioning from traditional field soils into soilless substrates. Read moreColorado: The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture program has granted Colorado State University Pueblo $275,000 to develop its Industrial Hemp Education, Agriculture and Research (InHEAR) program. CSU Pueblo started offering a Bachelor of Science in Cannabis Biology and Chemistry degree this fall, and the grant will allow the school to expand this degree to include hemp agriculture beginning in the fall of 2021. Read moreMassachusetts: A judge has sided with Cambridge, Mass., in the latest ruling in a lawsuit over the city’s cannabis ordinance, which bars existing medical cannabis operators from receiving adult-use cannabis licenses for two years in order to prioritize social equity applicants. Revolutionary Clinics, a licensed medical cannabis dispensary in Cambridge, sued the city over the two-year licensing delay, and while a judge sided with the company in January, Associate Justice Diana Maldonado has now ruled in favor of Cambridge. Read moreMichigan: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed multiple “clean slate” bills into law this week that will automatically expunge criminal records for those convicted of certain cannabis-related offenses. The new law will automatically clear the records of those convicted of cannabis-related offenses that would not have been considered a crime after Dec. 6, 2018, when Michigan legalized adult-use cannabis, although it does not apply to felony convictions that carried a sentence of 10 years or more. Read moreMissouri: The state is inching closer to launching its first medical cannabis sales as EKG Labs, the state’s first licensed testing facility, is testing cannabis for BeLeaf Medical, the state’s first licensed cultivator. BeLeaf co-founder John Curtis told St. Louis Public Radio that while the initial batch submitted to EKG is not large enough to stock dispensary shelves, he expects to send a second batch for testing and have product ready for sale at BeLeaf’s store within the next couple of weeks. Read moreMississippi: Gov. Tate Reeves has signed legislation that allows the state’s patients to access FDA-approved cannabis medications. The move comes weeks before voters head to the polls to decide on two competing ballot measures that would legalize medical cannabis in the state. Read moreNew Mexico: Ultra Health, a New Mexico cannabis company, has successfully filed a Writ of Mandamus against the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) asking the court to rescind an NMDOH mandate that added additional requirements for reciprocal patients to participate in the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program. Santa Fe District Court Judge Matthew Wilson prepared the Writ and signed it on Oct. 13, invalidating the NMDOH mandate and Emergency Rule that attempted to disallow qualified reciprocal participants from accessing New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program. Read moreIllinois: The first eight months of adult-use cannabis sales in Illinois have generated more than $100 million in tax revenue. Total adult-use sales have reached more than $431 million since launching in January, reaching a new monthly record of nearly $68 million in September. Read moreWashington, D.C.: D.C. councilmembers have introduced a bill that would allow returning citizens to work in the medical cannabis industry. The legislation would repeal a rule included in the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999 that prevents anyone with a felony conviction or misdemeanor cannabis offense from working at a medical cannabis cultivation center or dispensary. Read moreInternational: Colombia’s legislature is discussing several initiatives that seek to regulate production and consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes among adults, and the Congress of Colombia has advanced two bills that would regulate adult-use cannabis. On Sept. 16, the first committee of the Lower House approved the first debate with a narrow vote of 18-17, allowing the first bill to move forward to the plenary of the Lower House. Separately, a group of 38 lawmakers of the opposition and the center-right parties led by Sens. Gustavo Bolivar and Luis Fernando Velasco submitted a second congressional bill that aims to regulate marijuana production and consumption. Read moreMultistate cannabis operator Cresco Labs is committed to being a responsible player in the rapidly growing industry, and has now set out to help other companies build brands the right way through the release of its Responsible Advertising and Marketing Standards (RAMS).
The advertising and marketing code, which was made public Oct. 8, includes a set of guiding principles to ensure that Cresco markets and promotes its brands and products responsibly. The standards include guidance on commercial communications to help prevent underage appeal and ensure companies make appropriate claims about cannabis’s benefits. The code also offers best practices for consumer-facing promotional events and merchandising.
Here, Cresco COO Greg Butler and SVP of Brand Marketing Cory Rothschild share why the company developed and published these standards, as well as how they will ultimately benefit the industry as it continues to grow.
Melissa Schiller: Why did Cresco develop these standards? What was the company’s overall goal in releasing these to the industry?
Greg Butler: The reason why we wanted to publish this is, as we look to the end of this year and into next year, what we expect to see in the U.S. cannabis market is an increase in investment across all companies in building their brands. There are a couple key trends driving that. One is competition that continues to grow, so everyone is fighting to grow their brand with customers. The second is companies are strengthening their financial positions. They’re able to invest more in brands. And then the third is we’re also seeing more opportunities for cannabis brands to invest in marketing, so there are more ways they can spend money. With that, there are a lot of tailwinds that are driving toward more spend for brands in the space.
As we looked at it, as we’re competitive and we expect everyone to be competitive, we wanted to create some guidelines that set a series of best practices to ensure that we’re building brands the right way and that it’s always in service of what’s best for consumers.
New Jersey voters will decide whether to legalize adult-use cannabis this fall, and with just over two weeks until Election Day, NJ CAN 2020 is ramping up its campaign efforts to support the referendum, enlisting the help of Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Nicholas Scutari.
Murphy and Scutari, who have long supported legalization in the state, joined NJ CAN 2020 for a live panel discussion Oct. 8 on what a “Yes” vote means for New Jersey (see below video).
“Gov. Murphy has been an outspoken proponent for this since he’s been elected and prior to being elected, and he’s been full-throated behind this effort to get this ballot question passed,” Bill Caruso, an attorney with Archer & Greiner and a member of NJ CAN 2020, told Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary. “A million people have already voted in New Jersey. Having the governor come out when he came out, after vote-by-mail ballots arrived in New Jersey, is important."
BOSTON (Oct. 15, 2020)— PRESS RELEASE—Resource Innovation Institute (RII), in partnership with American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, are nearing completion of a comprehensive project to support Massachusetts cannabis cultivators with peer-reviewed resources to help them address the subjects featured in the first energy regulations placed on the energy-intensive industry.
The two non-profit organizations worked with two government agencies and eight energy efficiency program administrators to develop and deliver three projects:
1. Best practices guides – Energy Efficiency Best Practices for Massachusetts Marijuana Cultivators, the first state-level guide assembling regionally-specific advice on designing and operating efficient cultivation facilities, which pairs with RII’s LED Lighting for Cannabis Cultivation and HVAC for Cannabis Cultivation Best Practices Guides
2. Cultivation workshops – Efficient Yields workshop series, featuring experts who contributed to, and content from, the best practices guides
3. Simplified energy and water reporting – The Cannabis PowerScore benchmarking platform was upgraded to enable cultivators to comply with Cannabis Control Commission rules on providing annual resource consumption
The first eight months of adult-use cannabis sales in Illinois have generated more than $100 million in tax revenue, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Total adult-use sales have reached more than $431 million since launching in January, reaching a new monthly record of nearly $68 million in September.
Adult-use cannabis sales have generated nearly $70 million through the state’s Cannabis Regulation Fund and an additional $36 million from state and local taxes between January and August, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Nearly half of the tax revenue collected through the Cannabis Regulation Fund will be reinvested to support communities that have been disproportionately impacted by prohibition or directed to mental health and substance abuse programs, according to the news outlet. An additional $16 million will be provided to county and local governments.
D.C. councilmembers introduced a bill Oct. 9 that would allow returning citizens to work in the medical cannabis industry, according to a DCist.com report.
The legislation would repeal a rule included in the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999 that prevents anyone with a felony conviction or misdemeanor cannabis offense from working at a medical cannabis cultivation center or dispensary, the news outlet reported.
The bill would also create a program that provides incentives for applicants seeking cultivation, dispensary and testing lab licenses when the business is more than 50% owned by returning citizens, according to DCist.com.
The Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development will review the legislation later this month, the news outlet reported.
New Jersey has grappled with the idea of adult-use cannabis legalization for a while now, especially since Gov. Phil Murphy took office in 2018 with the promise of cannabis policy reform.
When a legalization bill stalled in the legislature last year, lawmakers placed an adult-use legalization question on the state’s 2020 ballot.
With just over two weeks until Election Day, many are surely wondering how the election will shape cannabis policy in the U.S.
“I’m excited to see what happens in New Jersey,” Rachel Gillette, partner and chair of Greenspoon Marder’s Cannabis Law Practice, tells Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary. “I’m also excited to see what happens in states like Arizona and to see how many more states choose to legalize cannabis in this election.”
RELATED: UPDATE: 5 States Voting on Cannabis Legalization This November
Ready or not, cannabis regulators are watching you.
What was once considered a subversive or fringe industry has blossomed into a vast, complex, multifaceted sector all its own over the past decade. And with those changes have come a much-increased regulatory presence.
Proper labeling is paramount these days, while testing for potency, pesticides, microbials and more is commonplace. But here’s the thing: Those cannabis- and hemp-specific mandates, important as they are, are barely the tip of the regulatory iceberg compared to what’s coming down the pike.
Regulations from the likes of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are essential for ensuring safety of workers and consumers and further legitimizing the hemp and cannabis industries as a whole. But unless cultivators, processors and dispensaries make some changes now, they’ll be playing catch-up for years to come—many with suboptimal consequences.
Kim Stuck, Founder and CEO of Allay ConsultingAs the world’s first cannabis and hemp specialist for a major metropolitan public health authority at Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment, where I worked for nearly four years, I witnessed countless well-meaning operators (and their investors) get tripped-up by rules and regs that aren’t always black and white. My work as a regulator now informs everything I do in advising my cannabis and hemp clients.
As regulatory agencies at every level are stepping up their presence in these still-new industries, here are a couple of the lessons to help you and your colleagues steer clear of trouble.
San Diego, CA—PRESS RELEASE—Pendram, Inc. has announced the launch of its first official registered equity crowdfunding campaign in partnership with WeFunder. Pendram is raising capital to grow the brand and launch a new line of high tech “smart” storage solutions. Pendram will use the capital to complete development and go to full production with the innovative new category of products. The WeFunder campaign launches on Oct. 13, 2020, and Investment is open to the public and accepted at: www.wefunder.com/pendram
Pendram’s proprietary patent pending smart technology called Intellisphere IAC “Creates the Perfect Atmosphere” and has the goal to set a new standard for precise storage conditions with safety and smart flexible control from anywhere. Pendram's business model is innovation and a mission to protect, preserve and optimize the long-term quality of perishables. The innovative “smart” high tech product line includes storage solutions specifically being engineered for culinary, cannabis, cigar and breast milk applications.
Mary June Makoul, founder and CEO says, “We’re raising money through crowdfunding because we want as many people as possible to be a part of our innovative, high-tech company. There was a critical need for miniaturized smart storage solutions and this is an opportunity for anyone to own part of a growing tech company on the ground floor without having to quit your job or be an experienced Investor. We’ve already proven demand with numerous pre-orders, and it is thrilling to imagine what this company can do with access to adequate funding.”
“I am delighted and excited to join Pendram as the Lead Investor in their WeFunder campaign launching today! These funds will help drive the company forward, accelerate growth and expedite the path from the current prototypes to production of their groundbreaking smart storage technology products. The time is now for these innovative solutions and Pendram is positioning to create a whole new category of products” said Mark Yoshida, lead investor for Pendram’s WeFunder campaign.
Jon Siann, CTO and founder of the company, added, “No miniaturized solutions exist on the market today that can add and subtract moisture using distilled water to maintain precise storage conditions for multiple applications. Current solutions use chemicals that interfere with the integrity of stored products and are an environmental hazard. Our patent-pending products and proprietary platform will leverage electronic and thermal breakthroughs as well as sophisticated software and cloud management to reliably and precisely control temp, airflow and humidity."
AUSTIN, Texas (October 14, 2020)—PRESS RELEASE—Fluence by OSRAM, a global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and agriculture production, has expanded its top light solutions and launched the VYPR 3x and VYPR DUO 3x2. The latest VYPR series additions feature Fluence’s diversified PhysioSpec spectra and efficacies up to 3.7 µmol/J.
“This addition to the Fluence VYPR Series is just one example of how we are creating advanced solutions to meet growers’ unique needs as they adopt LED technology into their facilities,” said Timo Bongartz, Fluence’s general manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa. “By offering products with a smaller form-factor that deliver high light output, growers who previously were unable to install supplemental lighting—due to restrictions in facility dimensions—now have a solution to leverage year-round crop production. We are pleased that the first growers in the Netherlands and Scandinavia will use this new solution in the upcoming winter season.”
Featuring three new mounting options, the VYPR 3x distributes light uniformly across low-ceiling grow environments, reducing the need for additional fixtures per lit area and lowering operational expenses. The VYPR 3x2 features DUO remote and cradle mounts, disperses the same amount of light as VYPR 3p to larger areas, or doubles the photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) per truss installation.
With Fluence’s expanded PhysioSpec from broad white to high red spectra, the latest VYPR top light fixtures offer higher efficacies (up to 3.7 µmol/J) and higher PPF (up to 1200 µmol/s) per fixture over comparable lighting technologies.
“Challenging cultivation environments require a unique, creative approach to supplemental lighting,” said Lorrie Schultz, Fluence’s senior vice president of marketing. “With VYPR’s diversified spectra and greater application flexibility, our customers can now choose from a broader range of top light options, tailor lighting strategies to their specific growing environments and extend photoperiods while maximizing energy efficiency.”
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- Surterra Texas, a division of the privately-held, multi-state operator cannabis company Parallel and a medical cannabis company in the Texas market, has announced the availability of the first cannabis-infused topical lotions for patients in the state of Texas. This introduction of lotions follows the company's launch of medical cannabis lozenges in September, the first in the state of Texas.
RELATED: How Surterra Texas Is Evolving with the State’s Expanding Medical Cannabis Market
Surterra Texas' lotions are being introduced in two product lines: Tranquil Lotion. with a 19:1 ratio of CBD:THC (342 mg CBD and 18 mg THC per package), and Soothe Lotion, with a 1:1 ratio of CBD:THC (180 mg CBD and 180 mg THC per package). Each child-resistant jar of lotion will be available for $60.
"We are excited to be, once again, the first to bring a new cannabis product category to our patients in the state of Texas. Regardless of if a patient wants to treat a specific area with our new lotions or get full body relief from our lozenges, we're committed to providing a variety of formats to help customers unlock the benefits of cannabis," said Marcus Ruark, president of Surterra Texas. "Surterra Texas continues to lead the Texas Compassionate Use Program in product innovation and providing Texans with the widest variety of medical cannabis products."
In addition to offering the first medical cannabis lotions, Surterra Texas continues to offer Texas' only THC-dominant product, the Relief Lozenges with a 1:9 CBD:THC ratio, as well as a variety of medical cannabis tinctures with a range of ratios and targeted terpene profiles. Each Surterra Wellness product has been formulated with specific cannabinoid ratios to help patients with approved treatable conditions under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, including terminal cancer, spasticity, autism, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and a wide range of neurological diseases.
OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- Nabis, a California-based software-enabled cannabis distributor, has announced that the company has entered into an exclusive partnership with Pabst Labs to distribute Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis Infused Seltzer across California.
Blue Ribbon will now adorn the can of a non-alcoholic THC infused seltzer. Pabst Labs, a company founded by a group of cannabis beverage experts and former Pabst Brewing Company employees, was granted the rights to create a line of cannabis infused drinks under the Pabst Blue Ribbon Name. Pabst Labs is looking to break industry ground with the launch of its cannabis infused flavored seltzer, which includes 5 mg of THC per can.
RELATED: Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis Infused Seltzer Debuts in California
Through this agreement, Nabis will be the exclusive distributor of Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis Infused drinks in California until 2021. By partnering with an established distributor familiar with navigating the logistical constraints of a variety of cannabis products, Pabst Labs can focus on producing beverages for their consumers. It is no secret that there are many unique challenges associated with distributing beverages in the cannabis space, because the industry has yet to widely adopt the equipment necessary to store or transport beverages. However, Nabis will be investing heavily in its distribution infrastructure and software platform to ensure that the new product category becomes accessible to a larger pool of cannabis consumers.
"We are honored to power Pabst Lab's entrance into the cannabis market. As Nabis scales, we believe it is important to be a leader in providing access to newer product categories," said Jun S. Lee, president of Nabis. "This is an exciting challenge, and Nabis is thrilled to offer logistical solutions for innovative products like Pabst Lab's infused seltzers."
While implementing proper airflow at an indoor cultivation facility isn’t necessarily complicated or overly expensive, Geoff Brown, VP of Technical Solutions for Quest, says it’s a necessary part of the grow environment that is often overlooked.
“Ductwork is not fun by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s an inexpensive and important way to make sure that your grow runs optimally,” he says.
Insufficient airflow in a grow room can lead to reduced yield, overheating or plant disease, among other issues, and is often the result of poor planning when installing equipment, Brown says.
For example, if the air supply and air return are both located above the canopy, the conditioned environment is far away from the crop, which leads to poor airflow around the plants.
“In my perfect world, we would see a mismatch between supply and return,” Brown says. “If you’re going to have a high supply, you’d want a return low so that you get good mixing, or vice versa—you could supply low and return high. But doing both at the same level means that it’s going to be very difficult to mix the air and not end up with a stratified air mass that’s not interacting with the plants the way you’d expect it to.”
With the legalization of hemp in a number of U.S. states, the market recognizes new opportunity in a number of sectors from the health properties of CBD oil to renewable building materials that can result from the cultivation of this versatile plant. It’s not without its challenges, though, and primarily among them is how to dry product at scale quickly and economically without damaging its beneficial properties.
One method for drying hemp closely resembles the established “Wisconsin Method” for drying another member of the Cannabaceae family, Humulus Lupulus, also known as hops. The appeal to this process is that it excels at preserving valuable terpenes, minimizes equipment spend and lowers the operating costs compared to other methods.
Step 1: Determine your harvest rate/amount to determine your drying room/chamber capacity.
The ideal situation is to build multiple airtight chambers by whatever means possible (e.g. drywall, plastic tents, vinyl sheets) to dry your hemp in. The size of the chamber should be sufficient to hold one days’ worth of harvest.
You could build a room and continuously load it with product, but you can’t allow the hemp to sit without drying or it will rot. This means you will have hemp in multiple stages of drying, and it will be difficult to manage. Having a single, uniform loading and unloading for a single chamber will allow you to better manage product quality and dryness.
First, determine the daily harvest rate and the volume this will take up in your barns or drying facilities. The below diagram represents your product on racks and hanging from the ceiling in some sort of plastic box erected inside your current structure. The smaller you can make the structure, the better off you will be. This will reduce the volume of air (CFM) and dehumidification capacity needed to dry the product because both will be able to focus on the product instead of drying the rest of the space around the plant. It also forces more contact between the air and the product, which is what provides the drying potential.
SANTA FE, N.M., Oct. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Ultra Health, a New Mexico cannabis company, has successfully filed a Writ of Mandamus against the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) asking the court to rescind an NMDOH mandate that added additional requirements for reciprocal patients to participate in the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program.
Santa Fe District Court Judge Matthew Wilson prepared the Writ and signed it on Oct. 13, 2020, invalidating the NMDOH mandate and Emergency Rule that attempted to disallow qualified reciprocal participants from accessing New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program.
“Neither the Legislature, by statute, nor the DOH, by rule, required that a reciprocal participant’s government-issued identification and medical cannabis proof of authorization be issued by the jurisdiction where the participant lives, or that the reciprocal participant must produce a medical cannabis card as the only acceptable proof of authorization in order to obtain reciprocal admission into the New Mexico medical cannabis program,” Judge Wilson wrote in the Writ.
Moreover, Judge Wilson found that the Emergency Rule that was filed by NMDOH on Oct. 8, the day before the scheduled Writ hearing on Oct. 9, is unenforceable.
“By the term ‘imminent peril’ or ‘danger’ is meant a place where there is certain danger – not a place where there is just a mere possibility of injury occurring … The DOH’s justification for their emergency rule is inadequate,” Judge Wilson continued. “As a result, the DOH is in violation of the State Rules Act and the emergency rule is unenforceable.”
Missouri is inching closer to launching its first medical cannabis sales as EKG Labs, the state’s first licensed testing facility, is testing cannabis for BeLeaf Medical, the state’s first licensed cultivator, according to St. Louis Public Radio.
BeLeaf co-founder John Curtis told the news outlet that while the initial batch submitted to EKG is not large enough to stock dispensary shelves, he expects to send a second batch for testing and have product ready for sale at BeLeaf’s store within the next couple of weeks.
BeLeaf opened its first cultivation center in Earth City in June, while EKG passed its commencement inspection with the state and received final approval to operate late last month.
Lyndall Fraker, director for the medical cannabis program with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, told St. Louis Public Radio that the department has been working “extremely hard” to complete final inspections on all facilities, and that he expects the majority of the state’s 192 dispensaries to be open by the end of the year.
